I'll bite before I speak
by Keepitlocked
Summary: Set after Scorpia Rising* Only weeks after coming back to the Pleasures from his mission, Alex is getting ready for the high school life, but memories of the Salvage mission plague him daily. And alongside these horrors, Alex is struggling to hide the pain of Jack's violent death from his adoptive family. As new dangers close in on him, will Alex be able to keep up the charade?
1. Salvage and little Alex

**Author's Note: **January 17th, 2014.** I was going to completely scrap this story, but have decided to keep it. I wince whenever I read over it because it's so bad, so I'm going to try to fix it up. Make it past tense and trying to make it flow better. The first five chapters will be mediocre, and worthy of not reading, in my opinion since they're basically from 2011 me (horrified scream), but from there onwards, I hope you guys will get a better feel of the story, with tighter plotting and solid characters, etc.**

**Anyway, thank you faithful followers for staying on this story. I will make it up to you!**

* * *

><p><em>Drip.<em>

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Why won't you come out to play, little Alex?_

His face was turning into a savage smile and wild eyes. I knew it did as he repeated –

_**Why don't you come out to play?**_

His voice sounded guttural; it made me shiver.

Then the snap of teeth was heard.

Tasting my anticipation and excitement.

I felt his eyes at on me, straight through the corner wall separating us.

_Found you, little Alex._ A singsong voice this time.

A secret smile played on my lips and I answered the call. I bit my teeth together to imitate his sound. _Why don't you come for a taste?_

I heard him give a low chuckle. _I don't want a taste, little Alex, oh no – __**I intend to eat all of you.**_

Laying my head against the wall, I looked at the weapon dangling on my fingers. _What if I eat you first, Salvage?_

Full-blown laughter. _And how do you hope to achieve what no other has achieved before?_

I grinned to myself, shaking my head. _How do you hope to defeat what none have been able to?_

For a moment, silence reigned on the other side, then; _I know your capabilities and weak points._

Smugness flowed through me. _Do you really?_

_Yes, little Alex, I do. And my ambition is to make you feel absolute helplessness. I will take you down to help you up. Dependency is the core for a leader and his followers._

I frowned slightly. He had a good point; but there were flaws. _Dependency is the core, because those leaders rely on his men to do the things he wants. Without his followers, he is nothing._

_Why do you think that, little Alex?_ His voice was louder; he was coming closer.

Clearing my throat, I stood up slowly. _The core is supposed to be loyalty and respect. Nothing less, nothing more. Few have this core anymore. They think by having soldiers bound by fear, is what will keep them here. Fear is always easy to control and manipulate. Loyalty is harder to make bow down._

I checked to see if the gun was fine and no jams were to be expected. None.

The scuffle of shoe on concrete. _I__ agree with you, little Alex. Now… shall the show begin 'fore the feast?_

I stepped away from the corner and faced him, flourishing arms in a gesture, exposing myself to him in the process.

I grinned with a promise. _Let's give a show neither will forget._

Eyes glittered with amusement and menace. _Let's._


	2. Chapter 2

My eyes opened, and I assessed the room before I relaxed.

The dream was an exact replay. Salvage, by far, was one of the most entertaining intellects I'd gone up against. He was a bit deranged, like all the others, but regardless, he was amazing to go up against. A genius still in the making, the danger he presented was astonishing.

"Same old, same old," I mumbled.

He was just a bit more original than the rest; _that_ was what had caught me by surprise. And what had gotten me interested.

First things first.

I'd only come back from the Bermuda triangle less than a fortnight ago. Unbelievably, I'd escaped from Salvage before a new scar could be added to my... collection.

Secrets weren't secrets in an intelligence service, and by the time I'd gotten the okay to go home, agents around the place would stare, whisper, and then stare some more.

Not very professional and aloof as they lead you to believe, was it?

Irritating, if you asked me. I came back from a so-called mystery place, so what? It shouldn't have been a cause for gossip.

Nope. That was what the other missions and life-threatening situations were for.

But then again, when the devil's luck was on you and you entered the Devil's triangle, what did you expect? I wasn't going to let that myth fly and not use it to my advantage.

Pfft. As if.

I don't exactly know how I got out of there; it was all a blur. All I knew was that I had to get out.

I shook my thoughts out of my head – that chapter was over and done with. No need to think about it.

Swinging my legs out, I ran a hand through my already dishevelled hair. The cool air met with my bare chest like a splash of cold water. I yawned, feeling tired, but knowing that I couldn't go back to sleep, I stood up and looked at the alarm clock.

5.15

Staying still for a moment, I thought. Then I mentally shrugged and decided to go for an early morning run. I turned the alarm off so it wouldn't wake the Pleasure family.

My heart contracted almost painfully.

Jack.

I felt tears stinging the back of my eyes and blinked rapidly to dispel them. Bitterness filled my mouth as I thought of the Salvage mission. I was forced into that, but after a week with the Pleasures, I'd been getting restless and itchy. I'd needed to release my pent up emotions and that's when I realised how much I came to expecting missions and the rush that came with it. Besides – it was practically the only thing I knew how to do now.

And I welcomed it with grudging arms when CIA had asked.

I've got about a week left until holidays are over and school would start. Determination spiked through me; nothing was going to stop me from going to school. Not Blunt, not Jones and definitely not Byrne.

Never again.

But I knew it was a lie. Sooner or later, they'd come asking for help or some criminal organization wiould come to me. Maybe even me to one of them.

That bridge would burn when the time came. And it would burn well as far as I was concerned.

Finished changing, I silently crept down the stairs and out the door into the night. It would have been total darkness but for the streetlights. I started a comfortable rhythm, concentrating on the steps and neighbourhood.

I don't know how long I'd been running when I realised the sun was know free from the horizon, but I headed back to the Pleasure's house.

As I walked up the porch steps of the huge house I caved in to the knowledge that the only reason I'd gone jogging, was because I wanted a clear map of the area. Anger rose at what I was doing, but I couldn't really help it could I?

When you've been through no less than 8 missions, gone AWOL at least twice, have had a handful of close friends kidnapped or threatened and most legal guardians dead by way of work, sabotage or revenge – it could only prove how life could, and did, take its toll on you.

Not to mention the betrayals, extortions, secrets and ultimatums.

Or the fact that both my Uncle and Father were in the spy business, or that my Dad's best friend was a world-renowned assassin, _or_ that my godfather was a spy-turned-traitor who was the one to have killed my parents.

Oh, and I can't leave out that my mother was a nurse at St Dominic's – the hospital I'd been treated at several times over now.

I guess things have come full circle now, with me being a spy and all, but that didn't mean I had to like it.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Sabina and her parents got up, I was in the kitchen, making breakfast.

Sabina came down the stairs first. "Alex?"

"Hmm?" I didn't turn around from the stove.

"I never thought of you as someone who could cook."Sabina sounded incredulous.

"You'd never think then, would you?" I muttered.

"What?"

"I asked if you had a pen on you." I said loudly.

"What for?"

"To write down what I put in the pancakes." I looked over my shoulder to smile at her. "I like to improvise and see if it turns out alright."

It seems that I 'improvised' a lot these days. But Sabina didn't know that, did she?

"Do you have any syrup and ice cream? Maybe some raspberries?"

"'Course we do."

I looked to see if bubbles had shown up on the pancake to flip it over.

_His skin._

_Oh fuck. His __**skin**__._

_My heart stopped; not in fear – in horrifying revelation._

They weren't just burning him. **They were melting him as well.**

_I pivoted around and shut my eyes, only to open them and stare at the ground as the image stuck with me._

_The piercing sounds in the air were ones of sheer agony and pain. The scent of burning flesh and singed hair was all I could smell. I stood over thirty feet away from the burning man, my back to him, yet I could still feel the flames curling – licking – under the suspended man._

_I didn't know how they'd done it._

_The pictures flashed through my mind, like strobe lights. The same one; over and over – lower body was only just beginning to burn – his upper body beginning to melt. The face that begged for help and to be relieved of the torture._

_The screams have stopped and I knew he is dead._

_His ghost travelled coldly up my spine to hang above me. I could feel his eyes boring into me accusingly; feel his last words echoing through me –_

"**Lord, help me –" **_Choking scream._** "Please!" **_Scream._

_No more words. Only the sounds of flame cackling at me and the dead man's screams were reaching my ears; taunting me._

_He was dead._

_He knew I was there. And he knew I was more disgusted then afraid. I wasn't sorry for not helping him. Only sorry for the fact that I hadn't felt like helping. He would've died in the end, anyway, so what was the point really?_

_A hand was placed on my shoulder and I looked up at Salvage, grinning like the fool he is, he said, "Shall we move on to the next room, then?"_

_My stomach rolled at the thought of watching another one have his death by way of experiment, but I knew Salvage expected me to lose it._

_Expectations were going to change after this one._

_I smiled, chillingly. "Let's do it."_

_Salvage blinked in surprise and I sensed his slip up reveal a slither of fear of me._

_Satisfaction ran through me. Fear made people easy to control._

Reality snapped back in the form of burning pancakes. I frowned darkly, still in my thoughts and quickly dumped the ruined ones in the trash, starting a new set.

How long had I been standing here, caught in my past and vulnerable to the present? I needed to stop these flashbacks and dreams. I was going to get killed if they continued.

I heard Sabina walk in and she came up behind me. She put down a bottle of syrup, a tub of ice cream and a pen on the bench beside me. "Hey, Alex, what's that smell?"

I shrugged. "Pancakes. I left them on for too long."

"How'd you manage that with _pancakes_?" I heard the suppressed laughter in her voice and smiled.

"Well, maybe I'm not all you expect me to be." I grinned. "Sabina, go call your parents down. Breakfast is done."

"'Kay." Her footsteps retreat and then tap up the stairs and my smile slipped away.

Salvage could be a real son of a bitch with memories. You just couldn't forget them. I sure wish that he wouldn't forget me. Even if he was dead, maybe he'd remember me in his next life.

I finished the last of the pancake mixture and began to set up four plates when Sabina appeared beside me. "Mind getting the jug of orange juice I made earlier from in the fridge?"

She obliged and I had just finished arranging the table when her parents came down.

A few minutes later, we were all sitting down at the table and the Pleasures stared at the breakfast in amazement. "Alex?" Edward Pleasure looked dubious. "You can cook?"

I nodded warily and Sabina laughed. "Nobody in this house can cook _anything_ to save themselves." She smiled. "Mum can't even make orange juice without burning it."

I looked at Mrs Pleasure for a moment and squinted in confusion. "How do you _burn _orange juice?"

Everybody laughed and I smiled as we begin to eat. Mrs Pleasure's face lit up. "Alex, you are a very good cook! Where'd you learn?"

"Jack –" I clammed up at the mention of her, but then I forced a smile before any of my tension could seep into the room. "Jack taught me how to cook. It was either I learn how to cook or risk her starving me just to prove her point. Although I can't cook anything that takes more than ten minutes..."

I faded back as the family laughed and continued on with conversation.

Jack. Jack. Jack... A howl of pain and pure loss resonated through me and I felt my world break apart again. Luckily, external body language was easier to handle than internal battles, so I kept to myself and finished my breakfast.

As I got up to clear the plates, Mrs Pleasure stopped me. "You already cooked breakfast for us; don't tell me you know how to clean dishes too." She laughed. "We have a dishwasher, so no one here has to worry about that."

I smiled crookedly. "Well, then I'll be headed upstairs to grab a little reading and studies. I've got to catch up before I start school this year."

Mrs Pleasure's eyes lit up in adoration. "Alex, you really are a strange boy, aren't you? I've never seen any teenager cook something edible – then volunteer for studying, but I think I like it." She laughed and I joined her as I nodded and left the room.

As I walked up the stairs the cheery mask fell away and gloom poured off of me. I missed Jack. The Alex inside fought and wailed at the cage. He wanted out.

He wanted to be able cry his eyes out. To talk to someone with nothing held back. To walk freely – not watching his back every day.

This Alex wanted to be able stop.

Because we were one and the same, weren't we? I didn't have another side. Just the one person standing on the line between espionage and life.

And right now; this Alex was leaning heavily on the side of espionage.

Only since the one inside would break down once let out. He wouldn't be able to cope with the battering of emotions. But that was why I was here, wasn't it?

A single thought struck me when I got to my room; I never did use that pen Sabina got for me.


	4. Chapter 4

I leaned back in my chair, satisfaction running through me. That was a good five hours spent. Though, learning by your self was much harder than learning with a teacher.

I guessed.

School.

Starts in less than a week… I missed Brookland comprehensive. Except I couldn't really go back, could I? I would if I could; but when that sniper tried to kill me in _my own school_ I knew it was over. When they hit Tom and I got furious; I knew I would have to leave. The rumours and looks, I could take. But when people who respected me and my privacy started to demand answers I couldn't give… what was I supposed to say?

Oi, I can't bloody answer your questions because of the control freak government. It's annoying, I know and kinda stupid because you guys are danger; but I can't say a damn thing – classified and all. Sorry.

Sometimes, I just wanted to pull out my hair (I swear, they'd drive me mad if the missions hadn't).

I wanted to yell at the world; but I knew she wouldn't want to answer me because of what I wanted.

I didn't want Scorpia down in flames. I wanted Scorpia completely obliterated. I also wanted to go back to my school and the people I knew.

There would be absolutely nothing left of that stupid organisation.

Truthfully, I just wanted to claw their eyes out, rip up their bodies and tear their world apart.

I wanted to punch something. But the things in this room were too nice to be damaged. I shrugged. At least I was being thoughtful.

I yawned and looked around the drab room; my eyes landing onto the laptop left upon my bed. I stood and walked over to the plush bed, settling down onto it.

Facebook wasn't a very nice place. But it would do to serve my purpose.

**Tom:** alex! where have you been? hows america and sabina?

**Alex:** its alright i guess. two weeks til school. really hot. nice beaches, house is big.

**Tom:** ive got a scar from you know what! It still hurts a bit when you touch it, and the experience is scary as hell. … they all still wonder about you and you know what, you know?

**Alex:** hasnt blown over yet?

**Tom:** nope. they say some things that hit a bit too close to home sometimes. after you disappeared for a month, it was alright; they sorta expected it. when we were told you were moving to america, rumours got crazy.

**Alex:** how?

**Tom:** they really DO think youre in a gang. doing drugs and all that.

**Alex:** all that's fine. but how are you going?

**Tom:** youre not here anymore. you werent around much, but when you were, it was loads fun. we don't get into so much trouble because you were always there with a story or tricks. no ones like that around here. a bit boring if you ask me.

**Alex:** im going for a walk. i need fresh air. ttyl

**Tom:** bye alex. miss you.

**Alex:** me too. ill come visit next holidays.

**Tom:** keep safe alex

With that, I signed out and logged off the laptop. I lay down and allowed my mind to space. The things in front of me became unseeing.

I wished Tom was here. Sabina was fun; but she wasn't Tom. She wasn't my best friend. There were some things a girl couldn't know.

Stop thinking.

I let my emotions wash over me and thought about everything, only… I was thinking about nothing. My thoughts turned into a buzz in the background and I closed my eyes.

_Sleep… reaps… weak little Alex, do you want to slumber and be dead to our world?_

My eyes flew wide open. I took in a ragged gasp and shot upright in my bed, heart hammering and pulse thrumming in my ears. No, no, NO! Damn it, Salvage, leave me alone! I let out a cruel sound of amusement – I guess some people could actually haunt you from their grave – or more precisely; follow like some annoying rat.

My face twisted into a scowl before I turned around and threw a punch at my pillow. I needed something to vent my anger on, but there was nothing here for me to vent on. I let out a growl of aggravation and irritation. I got up from the bed in a dark mood. "Bloody bastard won't leave me the hell alone." I rumbled under my breath. I clenched my teeth and glared at the wall in front of me. My hands curled to fists and I... let my anger go.

Climbing back under my covers, I commanded myself to sleep. School was only so far away and I needed to be ready and I also needed these reminders of Salvage GONE. The last thing I did before I fell to sleep was cuss at a dead person.

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><p>Day 7 (Recurring dream... or nightmare?)<p>

_You will NEVER get me. EVER!_

_Oh, but I think I will; after I'm done with you, you'll have wished for me._

_Leave me the fuck alo –! Arghhh!_

My scream echoed throughout the room, bouncing off the walls to let me listen to the dead boy.

_You will not… _pant…_ let me… _gasp…_ touch you or… _puff_… I will… KILL YOU! I FUCKING SWEAR IT TO HEAVEN!_

_Tsk, tsk. Little Alex. Learn from your success; you will win, but…_

_I KNOW! _I shouted and my voice broke.

His smile of pearly whites made me see black. _You will lose a piece of the ones around you that you will find but cannot reverse._

_BASTARD!_

*Mental note: do not scream at your captors – it only makes them smile and your voice hoarse.

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><p>Day 6 (Ghastly business, eh?)<p>

Clawed at your eyes… Screamed Salvage… gnawed on skin

_SNAP._

Shredded… ripped… curled and exploded

_ROAR!_

Kill… slice…

_Snick…!_

Revenge…

Was cold and satisfaction what was?

Blood… Stains

Struggle… body dead… lacerations…

Obstruction… Damn! … it?

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><p>Day 5 (Let us…s…talk)<p>

_Feisty, are you not?_

I blinked slowly and didn't answer. A staring contest ensued until Salvage broke the silence.

_My, my. Not talking today? Did I do something to upset you, little Alex?_

Like a crazed person, I smiled. He took a couple steps back to the door, not taking his eyes off me. _I'll let the others handle you; but be assured – I'll be back for you._

I surged forward from the chains and snarled like a feral animal. Then I let out a bellow of intense frustration and hatred and strained against the shackles with no give.

LET ME GO LET ME GO LET… ME… GO!

After a while, my body heaving with effort, I slumped back down and my eyes flickered up to see Salvage watching me with curiosity.

I smiled and mouthed – **FUCK YOU.**

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><p>Day 4 (Count to five and close your eyes)<p>

One… Two...

Don't kill me now; so I can take you later.

I blinked and leave my eyes closed for a while. I was glaring at Salvage too long; my eyes stinging whenever I blinked.

_What do you want?_ I sounded a bit emotionless. But calm, clear and angry at the same time.

_Little Alex, why do you assume I want anything at all?_ He said it like he was innocent of any crime when I knew he is far from it.

A bit baffled on the inside I said, _Let me go if you need nothing._

_Ah. Now that is a different thing. What I need… would you like to know, little Alex?_

I scowled at him, gods, this man was infuriating. _Yes._

His smug smile made me angry, but I kept it to myself. He paced in front of me in an old world fashion – arms locked behind his back, chin up and back straight. _Listen closely, little Alex, I won't say this twice._ He stops and faces me. _What I need is what you've got._

I frowned in confusion. _I don't have anyth –_

_Oh, yes. Yes, you quite do._

_I don't have the things you need. I wouldn't tell you even if I did – which I DON'T._

A smile slow in the coming, Salvage replied, _By the end of this week; you will._

_No. I refuse._

He leaned in close and looked me in the eye. _Refusing isn't an option, little Alex, haven't you ever learnt that from adults?_

I willed my entire body to not freeze like a deer in headlights. Was he implying he knew how MI6 coerced me into missions? How Scorpia used me when they knew the truth? How my uncle trained me without my consent or ever knowing?

Oh… fuck it all. Damn all adults over me. Except…

Jacqueline Starbright. Never her. Never. Never ever ever...

But… didn't I already do that when I became a spy?

Fuck.


	5. Chapter 5

Day one of School in America.

_Wake up, little Alex._

My eyes opened to the dull grey of my room and looked at the alarm clock beside my bed. 630. Damn.

I sighed and a slight frown appeared on my face. School was here. Did they know about me back in Brookland? Did they know about my 'illnesses'? About me? … I didn't want them to. It'd be better if they knew nothing of me, nothing at all. But how much had Sabina told her friends about me?

I swallowed the worry and sat up in my bed, rubbing the sleepiness from my eyes. Yawning, I stood up and an unexpected shiver ran through me. I looked down to find I had taken off my shirt sometime during the night. The blanket was on the floor and my sheets were messed up. I pressed my lips into a thin line, I moved too much in my sleep.

Grimacing, I couldn't help myself as I stopped in front of the wardrobe mirror. Minuscule scars criss-crossed all along and around my abdomen, and to be honest, they all looked quite poetically laid there. Thin, white – and _strategically placed_ – short lines. Each had their own story and purpose for being there.

Taking in a deep breath, the sheen of new skin caught the soft light to reflect back at me. Slightly concave from the rest of my skin, the bullet wound stared out at me from where my heart lay behind it. Well, technically _above_ by a centimetre or so, but who'd notice the difference?

I tentatively touched the spot as the reminder of who I was and why I was still alive today, there were other experiences that would remind me but weren't as obvious –_**JACKKCAJJACKAJKJCJAKCJJACKJKACJ**__ –_ I slamedm the door on the disastrous path those thoughts led to and bit the inside of my cheek, drawing some blood.

Pain. Don't think about it. _Don't think about it._

I let the breath I'd been holding expel out of me before I picked up my clothes and proceeded to the bathroom. Yep. I had my own bathroom. Sabina's family was sorta kinda, like, _loaded_. Okay, maybe not as much as my family, but then again, Ian earned a lot from his… bank job – at least more than the average middle-class citizen, I bet.

Finally penetrating through the last tendrils of sleep as I splashed cold water onto my face, I thought about the day ahead.

High school. The thought of starting new – literally new – had a little anticipation running through me. No one knew me, no one had heard of the rumours, and _no one_ _knew me._ I could be any kind of person I'd want to be and they'd have no idea. Unless of course, Sabina had told them about me, which she obviously would have. I sighed as I finished waking up and got out of the bathroom.

I took a seat on the bed and rubbed at my forehead. If she_ did_ tell them things about me, then I'd have to be British with a British accent of course. Did she mention that I played sports? Did she talk about me, personality-wise? Was I quiet and brooding, or playful and flirty?

Shaking my head in amusement, I pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a plain, simple tee. No need for flashy stuff or showing off at school; I could do that during missions, where no one could see me. I hesitated when I saw my bag but I took it, alongside my laptop and phone. It was my first day, I was bound to get some books from administration and work from the teachers.

It seemed that no matter which school I was at, I'd always need to catch up. Smiling, I took my time getting down the stairs, my mood suspiciously good today, and even though I didn't know why, I'd like to keep it that way.

Whistling softly, I made for the door when I caught a glimpse of someone in the corner of my eye. Bristling inside, I fought the instinct to catch the person by surprise and knock them out while they were off guard. Logic took over as I noticed the dark tresses and lavender scent in the air. Sabina.

All this happened in a second, and by the time I turn to her, I already had a smile on my face. "Morning, Sabina."

She was almost bursting with excitement as she quickly pounceed on me. "Are you ready for your first day, Alex?"

I shrugged and grinned, "Nothing can happen that'll be worse than anything I've been through." My smile frose in place at my carelessly spoken words, and whatever Sabina says next, I didn't hear it. _They'll never know what's really been done to you, what you've done and how you feel. Never._

At that moment I brought my attention back to her and she looked at the watch on her wrist.

"Shi – _Shoot!_ We're late and I've got Mrs Micallef for first period!" I chuckled at her apparent cover up for swear words as she latched onto my arm and rushed us out the door.

After lightly jogging for two blocks (we both felt bloody awkward with our bags on our backs) we slow down to a walk. Sabina, having given up on trying to not be late, groaned and dragged her feet along the pavement. "I _know_ she's going to try and take a bite out me when I get to class. I swear the woman _hates_ me or something." She grumbled like this the rest of our walk to her school.

Blankly absorbing information about entrances and exits for the front of the school and first couple buildings, I warily said, "What do I do now?" A sudden burst of laughter from her startled me and I gave her a weird expression.

A smile flirted at her lips. Beaming at me, she answered to my unspoken question. "You, Alex, make the perfect excuse. I'll just tell her that you had gotten lost and I was redirecting you. Teachers just turn into… I don't know… soft, squishy things with any new students. Always, 'are you doing okay with your classes?' this or 'I won't give you work because you're the new kid' that. And all that other shi – stuff in between."

Laughing, I slid up to her as she waved me along. "Come on, Alex. I'll give you the official tour of this school – as soon as you tell me which class you're in." Shaking my head, I followed her as she walked and talked beside me in animated chatter.

It was a bright and sunny day in San Francisco. Stray people here and there gave me curious looks, but that was it. They _only_ wanted to know who I was, not why I was back here, or why I was gone. So far, so good.

I said good bye to Sabina before stepping into my homeroom class. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled and anger seemed to explode inside me. Not _here_. Fuck, no. Nothing to do with espionage is going to happen here. _Not over my fucking dead body._

I wanted to punch someone and scream that spying was in the past. It had no place here. Not that anyone knew how I was feeling, my face was the careful, happy/nervous face of a student starting at a new school. The sense of being a target, that someone was watching me, was burning a hole at my back. Wanting to growl, I greeted the teacher and turned to the face the class, trying to detect where this maliciousness had come from.

Lo and behold. In the far left corner (at least from where I stood, in front of the class) sat a boy. There was a sneer on his face and a gleam in his eyes - the boys around him were smirking at me too – this all told me one thing.

I was fresh meat.

Concealing the frown on my face as I made my way to an empty seat, I dismissed the need to turn around and put them all in their places.

They would have to make the first move. No way was I going to be the antagoniser this time round.


End file.
